Hull City manager Steve Bruce has suggested that a deal to sign Jermain Defoe from MLS side Toronto this month could be too expensive for the club.
The Tigers are among a number of clubs, including Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers, who have been linked to the English striker.
Hull's interest in the 32-year-old is said to have increased following injuries to Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez.
"There's been a lot spoken about Jermain Defoe," the Daily Mail quotes Bruce as saying. "I, like Tony Pulis and Nigel Pearson and all the people, would like a Jermain Defoe. The numbers might cause a problem. It might be just beyond us.
"The one thing you don't want to do is gamble. We've seen all sorts of clubs get into a financial mess by pushing the boat out. But if there's someone who can make a difference I'll be knocking the door down like I always have done."
Defoe signed for Toronto from Tottenham Hotspur last year.
